art du jour

The Goldfinch Is Real! Vincent van Gogh Art Theft Befalls Dutch Museum

Photo: Peter Dejong/AP

A painting by Vincent van Gogh was stolen from a Netherlands museum in what’s being described as a “smash and grab raid,†which was made possible by the museum being indefinitely closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. (And not, we hope, because of literary Goldfinch inspiration.) Per the Associated Press, the Singer Laren — which was not the location of a recent Dutch Bachelorette date — confirmed that the theft of van Gogh’s The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring (1884) occurred on Monday morning. The thieves, in very un–Pierre Despereaux style, gained entry by smashing a glass door and running away with the painting in a matter of minutes (so … inelegant). While an alarm was triggered, the police failed to arrive in time to apprehend any suspects. “I’m shocked and unbelievably annoyed that this has happened,†the Singer Laren’s director said. “This beautiful and moving painting by one of our greatest artists stolen and removed from the community.â€

The Goldfinch Is Real! Art Theft Befalls Dutch Museum